How To Be Yourself Explained #2

– 2 Videos and a Paradox…

The paradox about being yourself? You don’t know who you are, you only know who (you think) you’ve been; and you most certainly don’t know who you’ll become.  So why bother, then, with any of this “how to be yourself” stuff? Well, these words by Sydney Banks seem reason enough…

[Last updated: June, 2016 – post summary]

 

Introduction: How To Be Yourself – Why Another Blog Post, Then?

Not that I am obsessed with “how to be yourself” or anything – read my article (2011), watch my video (2013), and checkout my post (2014) – but I have just recorded 2 (yes, two!) new how to be yourself videos (see below).

And whilst the videos do a good job of explaining the mysteries (and necessities) behind being yourself – what it looks like, what it doesn’t look like; why it’s nigh on impossible, and why it’s our default state; and how important being yourself is to living a contented, fulfilled and stimulating life – I thought I’d still write a few words of explanation below.

Basically, I wanted to encourage people to subscribe to my e-zine. But how? Well how about answering a question, answering the ultimate question, and how about offering that answer (as a video) as incentive for people to subscribe.

Okay, I thought to myself, what’s the ultimate question, then? (Sound of tumbleweed… Sound of clocks tick-tocking… Sound of sheep being counted in my sleep…)

Aha! I’ve got it (again, thinking to myself), the ultimate question is, of course, how to be yourself? (In my humble opinion, anyway – and my videos explain why!) And I now know the answer, the ultimate answer, to that question too. Bingo!

So I recorded one video. (It was long.) I recorded a second a day later. And I wrote this post…

 

 

 

How To Be Yourself – Video #1 (Short Version)

I recorded this short how to be yourself video on Wed 29th October, a day after recording the somewhat mammoth ‘how to be yourself’ video #2 (see bottom). I recorded it because I wanted the key message to come across for those that maybe didn’t have enough patience to watch a 40 minute video, or those that got confused whilst watching video #2 (if you get confused watching this short vid., then I’m stuffed!).

I also wanted to record a less scripted video.

So the key message behind being yourself, then? Well, it’s summed up via this ‘being yourself’ inspirational quote…

“You’re under no obligation
to be the same person you
were five minutes ago.”
— Unknown

Yes, being yourself really is a tantalising proposition:

1. You don’t know who you are, just who you’ve been
2. So being yourself becomes ‘be who you think you should be’ (oops!)
3. You quite simply lack curiosity in the ultimate act of creativity you’re ever going to be involved in (the act of creating YOURSELF – double oops!)

Put simply, you just don’t know how to be yourself!

 

 

How To Be Yourself – Video #2 (LONG VERSION)

Via a series of being yourself inspirational quotes I explain, as exactly as my words in the moment allowed, how to be yourself.

In a single sentence (that I’ve bullet-pointed) I could sum up the being yourself advice thus:

• allow yourself to not know who you are
• feel your whole experience (and let that be okay)
• be curious, be self-aware (and develop your understanding of the inside-out nature of the human experience)
• stay open to this moment, and this one, and this one, and…
• let your ‘down’ moments guide you back to repeat the above steps

I even explain just why it’s SO IMPORTANT for you to be yourself in this life in the video – how any business, personal or health ‘problems’ simply drop away once you fully embrace what being yourself truly means.

 

How To Be Yourself Inspirational Quotes (As Used in the Video)

“Waking up to who you are
requires letting go
of who you imagine
yourself to be.”
– Alan Watts

(Spiritual mantra that’s on the money!)

“You are the only problem
you will ever have and
you are the only solution.”
– Bob Proctor

(Self-help mantra that just happens to be true!)

“It takes courage
to grow up
and become
who you really are.”
– e e cummings

(As much ‘courage’ as it takes to meet… this moment!)